Friday, 29 April 2011

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Eighteen year old Caitlin Paine finds herself uprooted from her nice suburb and forced to attend a dangerous New York City high school when her Mom moves again. The one ray of light in her new surroundings is Jonah, a new classmate who takes an instant liking to her.

But before their romance can blossom, Caitlin suddenly finds herself changing. She is overcome by a superhuman strength, a sensitivity to light, a desire to feed--by feelings she does not understand. She seeks answers to what’s happening to her, and her cravings lead her to the wrong place at the wrong time. Her eyes are opened to a hidden world, right beneath her feet, thriving underground in New York City. She finds herself caught between two dangerous covens, right in the middle of a vampire war.

It is at this moment that Caitlin meets Caleb, a mysterious and powerful vampire who rescues her from the dark forces. He needs her to help lead him to the legendary lost artifact. And she needs him for answers, and for protection. Together, they will need to answer one crucial question: who was her real father?

But Caitlin finds herself caught between two men as something else arises between them: a forbidden love. A love between the races that will risk both of their lives, and will force them to decide whether to risk it all for each other…

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books. It's a chance for book bloggers to connect and share the book love. Check out Crazy for Books (click on the button) for more details and to find the links of some awesome blogs.

This week's question is:Summer is coming quickly - what 2011 summer release are you are most looking forward to?

Yes, I chose some of them for length, not necessarily my ten favourite books lol

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your BRITISH reviews on the current linky and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior has a decision to make: should she stay in the faction she grew up in, where she can stay with her family and everything she knows, or should she accept that she's not selfless enough to be Abnegation and move to another faction, where she will no longer see her family but can live more like her true self. Needless to say, Beatrice opts to move to a new faction (otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story). She changes her name to Tris and tries to settle in as a Dauntless initiate. She has new friends and a new way of life but as in any dystopian story, things aren't quite what they seem.

Divergent is an amazing story, set in a brilliantly crafted world. The plot is full of action, emotion and excitement with fantastically developed characters. Tris is a tough cookie but there's an edge of vulnerability to her as well which makes things interesting. She'll stand up for what she believes in but she also feels scared and alone at times. There's some good secondary characters as well, some nice, some not so much and for a lot of the book, we're not really sure about some of them. The Dauntless initiates spend a lot of time in competition with each other so at any point it feels like even Tris's new friends could turn on her. As with most books of this kind, there's the love interest. Four is a mysterious character. It's clear there's a whole lot of Four's background hidden (even his real name isn't revealed until late in the book) and the author does an excellent job throughout the book of giving just enough away to make you want to know more.

For me, this book was right up there with The Hunger Games and I'm hoping that the rest of the series (a trilogy I believe) will be just as good. Do not miss this book.